The Picture that Launched a Thousand Trips: Trolltunga – How to Get Here, What to Pack, and How Not to Die

I saw a picture of someone at Trolltunga and decided that I wanted to be in that exact spot, so I planned my trip to Norway.

This is not an easy one to figure out, so I’m excited to get you here!

So you can do this:

Or this:Or maybe this 😉

First, Trolltunga is going to take you all day: 8-13 hours (yes, I know that’s a wide range) round trip of hiking so I recommend the following:

Getting to Trolltunga

– Closest Airport: Bergen (3.5 hour drive to Trolltunga if you hit the ferries)
– Rent a Car: Manual cars are going to be CONSIDERABLY less expensive. An automatic car for two days was roughly $350 with gas (I cringed at first, it was still worth it). A bus to and from Bergen to Odda is possible with a taxi coordinated to get you to and from Trolltunga.
–Take the Scenic Route (which I recommend on the way there): 7-9 hours depending on how much you stop for pictures, sites, etc. this flew by because it was so gorgeous. It was like doing my own Fjord tour at my leisure.

Lodging

– Hotel: Stay in Odda or Thyssedal the night before and the night after the hike. You will want to start early and will not want to drive all the way back to Bergen after hiking all day. Plus, if you drive yourself, you will need to take auto-ferries back to Bergen and they don’t run all night so timing it can be challenging. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. Luckily, I made it to the first ferry, but was too late for the second. Oh by the way, if you don’t make the first ferry the drive can take you 8 hours!!
– Camping: Camp at or near Trolltunga so you don’t have to do the full hike in one day, so you can spend more time at Troltunga, and/or have the advantage during the peak season where hikers may have to wait over an hour to take their picture in this popular spot.

What to do at the tip of Trolltunga?: Anything you want really! Stand, sit, lay, jump! I saw two girls hanging their legs over the edge together on the thinnest part of the formation turning backwards and taking selfies…I cannot say that I recommend that. I almost had a heart attack watching it. Although there are “no reported deaths”, one should use common sense because you can absolutely fall 1,100 meters to your death. So back to the fun stuff!

What to Pack for Trolltunga?
– FLASHLIGHT (Learn from my mistake: I did not make it back from the Trolltunga hike during daylight. I was terrified going down the steep mountain in the pitch black with a travel flashlight (that you would use to check a bill in a dimly-lit restaurant) without clear visibility to the trail makers. Plan plenty of time to make it down before sundown!!)
– Light layers of clothing (I wore too many and was warm from the hike the whole time even when it was 0 degrees Celsius)
– Hat
– Waterproof jacket or raincoat
– Gloves
– Good socks
– Hiking boots (ankle support preferred)
– LOTS of Water
– TONs of snack and a good lunch to bring
– Tissue paper/Toilet Paper (no bathrooms)
– Zip lock bag for soiled paper
– Backpack
– Camping gear if you choose to camp

Here is what the scenic drive looks like: Recommended stops:
– Steindalfossen and Norheimsund– Eidfjord– Vorringfossen (40 min extra to and from Eidsfjord, I’m 50/50 on this one, but if you love waterfalls this one is very tall)